Rui Study Group

Biodata

History

Formation

Yang Rui first proposed the group to Wang Guohua, making him its first recruit. He envisioned more than shared study sessions: admission would require assessment, and the organization would eventually connect his students beyond school. His private model resembled a fraternity without its emphasis on parties and drinking 3.

After demonstrating his academic ability, Yang Rui began requiring written applications. Eighteen prospective members received tightly scheduled study plans, which he supervised and revised over three days. By the time the group adopted the Rui Study Group name, it had grown to thirty-two members 10 11 12 21.

Launching the Test Papers

Yang Rui used his manuscript fees to buy mimeographing equipment and supplies. Members produced exercise booklets for sale, with paid participation offered voluntarily. He framed the operation as students supporting their studies rather than establishing a business, promised to cover losses himself, and reserved the surplus for group expenses 21.

The papers soon supported improvements beyond the membership. Principal Zhao Dannian inspected the accounts and approved spending on evening lighting, cafeteria subsidies, and paid student printing work 25 27.

Piracy Dispute

After Huang Ren reported counterfeit papers in the county, Yang Rui and the students caught Leopard selling copies that imitated both the group’s content and packaging. Leopard’s operation was backed by Huo Laosi and the Thirteen Wolves 27 29.

Yang Rui refused a proposed partnership with Huo Laosi and sought his father’s help. Yang Feng deployed the Xizhaizi Township Militia Company to protect Xibao Middle School’s collective property, preventing the gang from attacking the school 30 31 32.

Meanwhile, new Rui Study Group Secret Papers competed with the counterfeits through discounts and free answer sheets. Shi Gui learned to identify genuine copies by their paper and mimeographing marks. By the scholarship preparations, Huo Laosi’s gang had been taken down and the group’s sales exceeded eight hundred sets a day 32 36.

School Influence and Opposition

The group’s scholarship program brought opposition from Qi Yuan, who challenged Yang Rui’s right to examine students and distribute awards. Qi Yuan and Section Chief Xiong also sought control over the group’s funds and donated canned food. Xiong changed his attitude after Yang Rui revealed his family’s connection to Deputy County Head Luo, who oversaw education 37 39 40.

The group then organized student evaluations of teachers and public appreciation visits. These activities increased its visibility across Xibao Town; afterward, applications arrived from students outside the repeaters’ and graduating classes 42 45 46 47.

Printing Vote and Proposed Membership Purge

Yang Rui proposed borrowing money in the group’s name to print New Concept English. Members worried about debt, unpaid work, and interference with Gaokao preparation. All seventy-six participants, including reserves, received one vote in a secret ballot 48 49.

Yang Rui publicly accepted the rejection and said he would arrange printing himself. Privately, he ordered Huang Ren, Wang Guohua, and Cao Baoming to compare ballot handwriting: identifiable supporters were to become full members, while identifiable opponents were to be expelled. He explained that the group needed people willing either to serve their country or to share hardship and prosperity together 49.

The subsequent printing agreement was Yang Rui’s own undertaking, not an approved group expenditure. He arranged an initial run of ten thousand copies through the Liberation Printing Factory, with a two-thousand-yuan deposit and half the copies withheld until the balance was paid 50.

Organization and Membership

Admission and Discipline

• Written application: Applicants had to explain their reasons for joining, intended contributions, willingness to accept discipline, and plans for university and life after graduation. Applications initially went to Wang Guohua 10 11.
• Reserve membership: New recruits entered a probationary period before becoming full members. Yang Rui described the immediate practical difference as small, but full admission depended on conduct 11 34.
• Mandatory study routine: Early plans ran from six in the morning to midnight, beginning with exercise and including scheduled English memorization. Students unable to follow the plan had to leave 12.
• Assessment of persistence: Yang Rui instructed Huang Ren to record students who abandoned the scholarship exam early and lower their evaluations if they later applied 38.
• Member files: Liu Shan’s filing system recorded family information, academic progress, and participation in major activities. Yang Rui intended the records to help maintain contact after graduation 47.

Membership Growth

Immediately before the vote, the four named full members were Wang Guohua, Cao Baoming, Huang Ren, and Su Yi; Liu Shan was still a reserve member 48.

Key Personnel

Activities

Teaching and Exam Preparation

• Targeted problem-solving: Yang Rui sorts questions by difficulty and students’ academic needs rather than giving every student identical explanations 15.
• Homework assessment: He samples answers to identify weaknesses, then provides individual guidance or focused lessons 36.
• Open lessons: Nonmembers may attend his teaching sessions; many listeners subsequently seek membership 36.
• English materials: Yang Rui reconstructs New Concept English from memory, initially intending to mimeograph a complete copy for the group 47.

Publications and Printing

• Sales volume: Yang Rui reported five hundred sets sold daily; later production of that quantity required about four hours of mimeographing. Daily sales subsequently exceeded eight hundred sets 25 36.
• Repeat-customer discount: A stamped first paper from any of the first three Secret Papers sets entitled its holder to a two-fen discount on a new set 32.
• Printing facilities: The group began work in the cleared sports equipment room using a mimeograph machine, ink, paper, wax stencils, and stencil styluses bought by Yang Rui 21.

Scholarships

The scholarship scheme recognized academic performance, improvement, and participation in social practice. Academic applicants took a five-hour, six-subject examination held at night on the school sports field 36 37.

Teacher Evaluation and Appreciation

• Students anonymously rated teachers on a five-point scale. Two groups tallied the results, after which Yang Rui burned the ballots and posted the selected teachers’ names 42.
• Appreciation teams handled gifts, firecrackers, formation, and explanations to onlookers. Yang Rui instructed them not to disrupt teachers’ normal lives 44.
• The procession visited six teachers in the dormitory area and four in Xibao Town, drawing a crowd that police eventually dispersed 46.
• Li Xiumei, voted the most popular female teacher with more than half the votes, received four cans and a formal bow from the assembled members 45.

Finances and School Support

Yang Rui kept the printing surplus separate from his manuscript income and rejected individual appropriation of group funds. His stated policy was to spend the surplus on educational support rather than private profit or expanded production, reflecting his concern about the political risks of business activity in 1982 21.

Relationships

• Zhao Dannian — Principal of Xibao Middle School; inspects the accounts and approves spending on lighting, food, and student work-study. He later warns Yang Rui to preserve unity with teachers and students 27 43.
• Engineer Shao — Supports the school with supplies obtained through the Xibao Meat Processing Plant and asks Yang Rui to tutor his son under the group’s rules 34.
• Shao Liang — Engineer Shao’s reluctant tutoring student. Yang Rui requires him to attend group lessons and places him under Su Yi’s supervision; admission is not automatic 44 45 46.
• Shi Gui — Sales associate who distinguishes genuine papers from counterfeits and later handles negotiations and promotion for Yang Rui’s separately financed book printing 32 50.
• Yang Feng and Wei Lin — Yang Rui’s father orders militia protection for the school; Wei Lin commands the deployed company 31.
• Duan Hang — Assists Yang Rui during the piracy dispute and later uses his connections to facilitate the independent printing arrangement 29 30 50.
• Qi Yuan and Section Chief Xiong — Challenge Yang Rui’s control of scholarships, group funds, and donated supplies 37 39 40.
• Huo Laosi and the Thirteen Wolves — Organize the counterfeit-paper operation and threaten Yang Rui before militia protection and competing genuine editions undermine their efforts 29 30 32.